PRR Project

Summary

This position is intended for an Assistant Researcher to perform scientific work in the area of Fire Ecology and Management, in the School of Agriculture – University of Lisbon (ISA-UL), Research Unit Centre for Applied Ecology Prof. Baeta Neves (CEABN) / Associate Laboratory InBIO - Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology.The researcher is expected to help developing and improving the Fire Ecology and Management research area at ISA/CEABN/InBIO by conducting innovative research and publishing scientific and technical material (papers, books, web pages, reports, etc.). It will participate and coordinate ongoing research activities that are currently being developed, as well as prepare new projects and collaborations, at the national and international level, with both academic and non-academic institutions.The topics that are desirable to develop include (but are not limited to): a) Short- to long-term impacts of fire on forest species and on biodiversity; b) Assessment of different pre- and post-fire management actions to improve fire resilience and regeneration of burned areas; c) post-fire animal-plant interactions; d) Short- to long-term impacts of herbivores and pests/diseases on tree post-fire recovery; e) Delivering research-based guidelines to support more sustainable decision-making.The required scientific profile for this position is a PhD holder in forestry or related fields, with a solid knowledge and experience in the ecology of Mediterranean forest ecosystems, and specifically in fire ecology and management. The candidate should demonstrate having: a) experience in participating in different national and international research and development (R&D) projects in the forestry area; b) good writing capabilities, with several publications in top scientific international Scopus/WoS journals, but also with other more technical publications; c) recognition by the international community (reviewer, evaluator and editorial work); d) experience in cooperating/working with international teams/networks, and in supervising students; e) background and experience in ecological modelling and geographical information systems.The Fire Ecology and Management research area has been historically one of the five research lines at the ISA Research Unit Centre for Applied Ecology Prof. Baeta Neves (CEABN). In the last years, this research line has also been adopted by the Associate Laboratory InBIO - Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology (FIRECOL), to which CEABN belongs. FIRECOL research team has been leading research on fire ecology and management and has strongly contributed for extending the limited existing knowledge about the effects of wildfires in Mediterranean forest ecosystems. The team dedicated a large effort and played an important role in studying the patterns and drivers of mortality of several different broadleaved and coniferous tree species, with particular emphasis on those with higher economic and ecological importance, as well as their mechanisms of regeneration and post-fire recovery. The team has also been particularly committed to increase the knowledge on wildfire effects on long-term forest dynamics, including the fire effects in forest pests, invasive species and biodiversity. Forest responses and dynamics have been analysed at different spatial-temporal scales and in relation to different natural and anthropogenic factors. Results, transmitted through several publications and presentations are expected to contribute to a more informed and sustainable forest management. Additionally, this research area is also part of the academic programme of ISA, specifically the Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Forestry Engineering and Natural Resources (1st cycle course unit ‘Introduction to wildfires’ and 2nd cycle course unit ‘Fire ecology and management’, respectively), which have been historically associated to ISA academy.Wildfires are inherent to regions with a Mediterranean climate type, such as the Mediterranean Basin in which most of Portuguese territory is included, and current forecasts indicate that they will continue to occur in the future with higher severity. This highlights the importance of maintaining and deepening the long experience (decades) of scientific research that ISA-CEABN has in this area, and that is widely recognized at the national and international level. However, the former head and coordinator of this research line (Prof. Francisco Castro Rego) has recently retired (2022), and today this area of research has a large deficit of human resources, with the few existing researchers being currently in a precarious situation and finishing their fixed-term contracts. Thus, the possibility of hiring a researcher with a permanent position would allow the continuity of research activities in this important and strategic area, which otherwise runs the risk of disappearing or of being highly compromised in the short-term.